Who can I contact to help me out here? E-mailing CHUV is a dead end, apparently. 500 CHF is not a small amount for me.
Thanks!
I had been admitted to the ER at CHUV, Lausanne, at the end of November, and I didn't have insurance in their system. I was asked to pay 500 CHF upfront as a deposit, and then around 3 weeks later got a bill for the treatment. I had gone to a La Poste and paid it, and I have been mailing them ever since for the refund of 500, but they have never reached back. I had to leave Switzerland in February (as I was a visiting student), and they finally mailed it back 2 months later with my bill subtracted from the deposit. I had earlier mailed them all documents with my bill in question paid multiple times. They never reached back after that too.
Your post is unclear:
- Did you not have any health insurance?
- Did the hospital advise that the deposit was already deducted from the final bill? Or, as you write, the hospital mailed a new bill with the deposit "subtracted from the deposit" - which is clearly nonsense...
I had insurance from my home country which was approved by the canton, so I could submit a claim later. My ER bill was around 240 CHF, which I had paid on a La Poste the same day I received the bill in my postbox. I had then gone to reception, where they mentioned that I should just email the facturation and they would see the refund. So basically, I paid 500 CHF upfront before I was admitted + 240 later on, so 740 in total. Around 2 months later, they reply to me and they just send me a form of 260 CHF refund, and I think it is because the facturation didn't have an idea I already paid it (despite sending them the receipts). I should be getting 500 back, I replied to them but haven't heard back yet.
If you call the hospital directly and ask if you can speak to someone in their billing department, what happens?
CHF 740.-- bill for emergency treatment from CHUV. Sounds quite cheap in fact....
I find it hard to believe that the bill would only be 240-. Are you sure that it wasn’t 740 and they billed you the extra you owed?
I once had an uncomplicated visit to the ER CHUV (didn't need any x-rays, etc., just a few hours of observation and some simple blood tests) and the bill was more than 800.- CHF. Are you 100% certain the total cost was 240.- CHF? Based on my (unfortunately rather extensive) experience in Swiss ERs the bill is generally closer to 1000.- CHF than it is to 500.-... And any type of intervention (ultrasound, MRI, etc.) is charged at a premium rate.
One important issue. Do you still have a bank account in Switzerland to receive the payment? Or an account within the SEPA zone?
Similar thought to above - I know that the minimum charge for seeing a doctor in 'triage' at the local private hospital is 400chf. That's because I took a tourist in there, and they spoke briefly to use then highly recommended that we take our friend to a walk-in GP clinic as that would be significantly cheaper.
Minimum charge for seeing a specialist in a hospital for any reason would be 200-250chf.
Look again at your bill, or maybe ask the hospital to send you a new copy (did they send you one for your health insurance to make your claim?).
Yes, my bill was definitely 240 -- I didn't have any special equipment - just 6 stitches on my lips.
I also have the slip which specifically mentions 500 as a deposit.
Regarding the account - Yes, I have an SEPA zone account.
I had re-emailed the facturation, and some other departments as CHUV recently, but no reply.
Sweetheart, for Chf 240.-- they don't even give you a sticking plaster !
For 6 stitches, your bill was Chf 740.--
Their is admission and admin, examination, cleaning, sterilisation, equipment, doctor, nurse etc etc all to pay.
Sure sounds expensive, but think of what is involved which is far more than a bit of cotton and a bent needle
Kandi, perhaps where you come from a deposit = a refundable "hold", and that's why you think you should receive a refund.
My experience in hospitals (not just in Switzerland) is that a deposit is a prepayment towards expenses. Then the final bill comes, which takes into account the amount already paid.
I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's rather unlikely that an emergency visit in Switzerland costs only 240 CHF.
Nonetheless he/she should be given a total bill indicating what was the amount due and what is/was to be paid rather than "no answer". Certainly such expense documentation is needed to claim it back from any foreign health system.
OP, maybe rather than just asking for your 500 CHF, add also the note that you don't understand what's going on, but whatever the total bill was you need to have it on paper. AFAIK you should, as normally in Switzerland they are obliged to send an itemized cost breakdown.
Emailing CHUV administration is probably a dead end, OP. They do read them, but they don't respond unless they sense that they are in trouble.
As it happens, I was in the CHUV ER a couple of months before and have all my billing records. I looked and have some relevant 2022 numbers for you:
Consultation with the ER doc or specialist, each 5 min is 17.12 + 8.56 for the last 5 min. An minor exam is 18.18 per 5 min.
The flat-rate cost for being in the ER ('forfait' in French) is 59.78 for the 1st hour + 22.42 for each subsequent 30 min.
A blood draw by a phlebotomist costs 7.53, plus the cost of the labs ordered.
There is an additional supplementary cost of 45 CHF if you show up between 7pm and 7am, on holidays or on Sundays.
My total bill came to less than yours, but that was primarily because I was already a patient. This was because the relevant information was already on file (e.g. recent blood chem) or because some of the costs were shuttled into my other bills as they were handled by other departments, even though my late-night admission was to the ER. Unfortunately, I was a frequent-flyer at the CHUV in 2022. Thankfully I am better now.
Hope that helps reassure you that the billing for your stitches is probably correct.